Maitreya

Maitreya

Maitreya is traditionally considered one of the progenitors of the Yogācāra, one of two great currents of Mahāyāna view and practice. His works have achieved the status of unique spiritual classics.

Maitreya

Maitreya is traditionally considered one of the progenitors of the Yogācāra, one of two great currents of Mahāyāna view and practice. His works have achieved the status of unique spiritual classics.

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The State of Buddhist Publishing

[Note: This article on Buddhist publishing was originally written by Nikko Odiseos, president of Shambhala Publications for the blog Vajrayanaworld.com as requested by Lama Dechen Yeshe Wangmo.  As the blog is no longer, we are hosting it here with a few small updates.] 

My longtime friend Lama Wangmo asked if I would pen a few words on the state of Buddhist publishing, wearing my hat as the president of Shambhala Publications since 2010 and Snow Lion Publications since we acquired them in 2011. Given the audience of Vajrayana World, my emphasis here will be on works specifically of interest to Tibetan Buddhists, but will stray a bit where appropriate.

Below I will touch on the state of publishing in general and then dive into the specifics of the Buddhist book publishing world. I will talk about what it means to read a Dharma book and how this might be substantively different from how we consume other types of books.  I will then get into some of challenges of Buddhist publishing such as authentically transmitting the Dharma and how it can contribute to the building of an English-speaking Buddhist culture.

You will find no shortage of my personal opinions and perhaps some over-generalizations below—some of which you may agree with, but hopefully all of which you will find thought-provoking. They do not necessarily represent the views of Vajrayana World or Shambhala Publications as a whole.

Bookstore Picture
Shambhala Publication's bookstore with over 1,800 titles over half of which are Buddhist

The State of  Publishing

First a bit about the state of publishing in general. When I started at Shambhala in 2010—which incidentally is not related to the Shambhala International organization nor the Shambhala Sun magazine, now known as Lion’s Roar—there was a lot of industry-wide doom and gloom echoing around. E-books would kill print, piracy will be publishers’ undoing, Amazon will ruin publishing, and bookstores will disappear. That pessimism was mostly overwrought; book publishers of all sizes are, overall, doing OK. E-books are just another format, and a shrinking one at that, with about 15% of books like ours being read digitally. While it’s true that piracy does have a negative effect, the experience of reading a scanned PDF is pretty unappealing for most readers. The fact that it is taking what is not given deters many Buddhists, and that the likelihood of contracting a virus from a pirate site is just not worth it.

The relationship between Amazon and the publishing industry is a complex one. By making close to every title available to anyone, readers around the world can absolutely benefit—and that’s great for publishers, too. At the same time, supporting an organization who sees precious Dharma books in the same light as laundry soap, lightbulbs, and Legos, and whose might and vision afford little room for the cultural touchstones that enrich communities—from publishers to bookstores—may have its consequences.

Still, I remain quite optimistic and feel things look positive for publishers in general. The enduring attraction of the book remains, perhaps even growing as exhaustion from screens and the barrage of disparate information wears on people. Publishers have, with varying degrees of success, also found ways to diversify through apps, online learning, and more. And despite the infatuation with screens, people realize the final product of authors’ and publishers’ labors can be a beautiful, reliable, accurate, immersive object that can be a more fulfilling experience than many of the alternatives.

Buddhist  Publishing

In many ways right now is the golden age of Buddhist publishing in English. When I first started reading deeply into the extant Buddhist works a little over a quarter century ago, choices were really limited. Patrul Rinpoche’s Words of My Perfect Teacher and Tsongkhapa’s Lam Rim Chenmo had yet to come out. Gampopa’s Jewel Ornament of Liberation only existed in a translation that was nearly impenetrable. There was almost nothing from the Sakya tradition.

Now it’s a different world. In 2019, Shambhala alone published 34 titles for Tibetan Buddhists (and a bunch more for Zen and Pali traditions), bringing us to over 600 Tibetan Buddhist titles in print. While we have by far the largest list, the other Buddhist-centric publishers add a bit over two hundred more to the total. Some of the greatest works of the Indian and Tibetan traditions are coming out on an almost monthly basis.

There are many really experienced translators who have good retreat experience and who work closely with lamas who have traversed the path.Vast, multi-volume works are available for many traditions, such as the ten-volume Treasury of Knowledge, the Complete Nyingma Tradition (eventually seven volumes and by far the largest work on a single tradition), the Treasury of Precious Instructions (eventually eighteen volumes) and the Library of Tibetan Classics series (Wisdom Publications). There are multiple translations and commentaries on the five Maitreya texts, the core of the Mahayana. There is the 84000 project  committed to translating the entire Kangyur (the words of the Buddha) and Tengyur (the commentaries from India), even if few teachers teach those texts and few people read them.

Other publishers including Wisdom, Rangjung Yeshe, Padma Publishing, KTD, Vajra Books, Dharma Publishing (despite nothing new in years), and a few others have very dedicated people producing some important books. Even some of the university presses (Oxford, Columbia, Chicago, SUNY, and Hawaii in particular) are making some great contributions beneficial—or at least of interest—to practitioners, not just academics. There are also some very important behind-the-scenes organizations that really enable a lot of the important works coming out to happen—the Tsadra Foundation, the Hershey Foundation, the Khyentse Foundation, the Ho Foundation, and more, as well some private donors supporting translators and publishing projects. Tibetan texts are also widely available to translators and readers thanks in particular to the Buddhist Digital Resource Center (formerly TBRC) online library.

Thanks to our many teachers, translators, scholars, and sponsors, we have so much Buddhist material at our fingertips. There is a lot to feel very hopeful and positive about, not just about the books, but about authentic Dharma being made available both inside and outside of Asia.

Yet, as I survey the landscape of Buddhism in the West through the lens of Buddhist publishing in English, at times I have a lot of trepidation—as a publisher and also as a Buddhist. We have a long way to go.

My concerns focus on how we read, what we read, and who is reading—or not.

Treasury of Knowledge, Jamgön Kongtrül presents a complete account, thought and practice, Tibetan Buddhism
Some of the 2019 releases from Shambhala & Snow Lion
Some of the 2019 releases from Shambhala & Snow Lion

How We Read

I was recently talking to Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche, author of the superb Our Pristine Mind, and he described to me the curriculum at Larung Gar, the Buddhist center of learning and practice founded by the great Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche. The way many of us read Dharma books in the West would be regarded as pretty superficial and foreign to them. There, they are introduced to a text in a teaching context that may last for weeks or months, and still they revisit parts of it again and again. Every year, for three months the entire community of thousands would study a particular section of Patrul Rinpoche’s The Words of My Perfect Teacher and, of course, put it into practice. Then there are those on a particular track who are presented texts and topics—by authors such as Asanga, Nagarjuna, Shantideva, Longchenpa, Tsongkhapa, Mipham Rinpoche, and many more—and spend months or more on each one, studying and practicing, often returning to the same text the following year. Consistent, repeated, in-depth attention and application allow the students to thoroughly internalize the works. I think of how many teachers trained in Tibet could recall and recite quotes at will, appropriate for the topic at hand. Not many can do that here, but perhaps that will change. During a recent event at Shambhala in Boulder, Anyen Rinpoche talked about how he encourages some of his students to read the Way of the Bodhisattva 108 times. This is encouraging.

I feel that until we western Buddhists embrace this more immersive way of studying the core texts and teachings of whatever traditions we are in, it will be harder for the Dharma to really take root in the soil here, like it has wherever it has gone, taking on its own characteristics reflecting our culture but not budging an inch in its authenticity and potency. What Orgyen Chowang Rinpoche discussed above comes out of a Buddhist culture that has been gestating in Tibet for 1,400 years. While we do not have the institutional and social constructs that can instantly support something like this, it is still important to study the authentic texts ourselves in a format that fits our culture (perhaps like bible reading study groups). It is my opinion that we don’t emphasize that enough in our developing Buddhist culture—actually reading the foundational texts. Of course many teachers recommend to individual students that they focus on practice and not studying, and that advice, of course, is primary. But as a Buddhist subculture forming within our society, I still think it is vital for this to happen.

Larung Gar

What We Read

There is no shortage of great books available and the list keeps growing, from translations of Indian and Tibetan foundational texts, commentaries both new and old, and contemporary approaches that try, often very successfully, to speak to the modern-day needs of readers from the experienced to the curious. But, it is this last category of reader I worry about. There is so much other material out there that I think many reading this would agree may not be beneficial for someone predisposed to a particular tradition, whether the Pali traditions, Zen/Chan, or Vajrayana. Go into any bookstore with a decent Buddhist section (assuming of course it is not mixed up with new-age and other wares from the spiritual marketplace) and we see plenty that would likely raise eyebrows amongst those reading this—from the “Secular Buddhist” works whose earnest Humanist approach may depart from what many consider authentic Buddhism to the works of the “New Kadampa” organization. There is a lot of material someone without much guidance can get lost in.

An extension of this confusion of what to read is issues around restricted texts.  The word “restricted” is a bit tricky—it’s sort of a flashing light saying READ ME, whereas the intention is the opposite. The point, as most readers here will know, is that those kind of texts are not beneficial unless the reader has the appropriate transmission, initiation, permission, and fulfilled any practice prerequisites. I am disheartened to see some translators go the self-publishing route with texts that should be handled in a more considered manner. There is nothing wrong with self-publishing, but what I worry about is the plethora of works now on tantra, Dzogchen, etc., many of questionable quality that have been rejected by publishers, available to anyone without any warning or context given. This is not sour grapes from a publisher—if they were done well and care was taken, more power to them. After all, publishers generally cannot take on even a great work if the readership is only a few hundred. Rather, this is concern from someone who has tried to absorb the teachings about samaya, etc. and is worried about this trend and its effect on sincere, well-intentioned readers who may not yet have the background to fully appreciate the implications.  Lama and translator Sangye Khendro explains this well in a video we recorded.

I do think we publishers can try to do more by directing people.  Assuming we can get people to our websites, we can provide better guidance for people at various levels of interest and commitment for where to go deeper. A lot of “bedside table” Buddhists who like what they read and are gaining familiarity with practice would like to explore further but do not know where to start. While the best approach is to follow the guidance of a dependable teacher, many Westerners do not have that option in their present circumstances and books are their primary resource.

At Shambhala we feel this is a responsibility we need to take seriously given that we have published the majority of English-language Buddhist books. We want to make sure that the rich depth and breadth of quality authentic books are accessible and discoverable. We are currently developing material to give more guidance to people—not just for our books but for everything that is available in English. For a few recent though simple examples, see our Reader’s Guides for people like Milarepa, TsongkhapaJamgön Kongtrul the Great and Dudjom Rinpoche; texts like the Heart Sutra and the Mahayanasutralamkara; traditions like the Drikung Kagyu; as well as the immersive online workshops on The Way of the Bodhisattva and the Treasury of Precious Instructions, available to the public for free. And more come out every month.

tibetan buddhist books collection
Part of the Tibetan Buddhist section at Shambhala Publications’ office store in Boulder

Sidebar: How Teachings Become Books

One challenge we have as publishers is the stream of submissions we get by dedicated students of excellent teachers who have been tasked with creating a book from oral teachings. This is not a simple matter. Invariably, a transcript from an oral teaching has a long way to go before it can be a coherent, impactful book. Transcripts require an immense amount of work, eliminating what is extraneous or repeated (which works in a teaching context, but less so on paper), moving things around, changing the sentence structure. It can work, but those involved have to have a clear vision and be a little brave.

The elements that make it work are people who understand this, have the mandate from their teacher—alive or not —to have some latitude, and have the ability to really channel the teacher’s voice. This is a tradition that goes back to the Buddha of course. A recent excellent example of this is Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s Profound Treasury, a three-volume set that his student Judy Lief brought from many teachings and stitched together. It’s 100% the teachings that were presented, missing nothing, but orchestrated in a way that works as a reading experience—as a transcript really never can.

The Competition

Recently I was asked who our biggest competitor was. This is an easy answer. It’s not another book publisher, On the contrary, having a healthy ecosystem of publishers passionate about the kind of books we do is good for all practitioners. And it is not self-publishing, which is a great way for works that have a very small, specialized, or sangha-specific audience to be available. It’s also not Amazon (at least for now).

The real competition is the host of distractions we are all bombarded with constantly. Before I ended up in publishing I was a technologist, so I am not speaking as a Luddite. But with the barrage of information we subject ourselves to and with the universe at our iPhone-gripping fingertips, focus and immersion are rarer, especially to younger people. We all have so many demands on our attention, a deluge of distractions that is really unprecedented. It’s hard to practice lojong slogans or keep the four thoughts constantly in mind, let alone have pure vision when we are bombarded by the world around us in a way that is harsher and louder than any time in the past. While the flow of ceaseless concepts is nothing new to human beings, somehow now it seems harder to turn the volume down.

And with all this noise, younger students may not have the habit of reading books and people who grew up reading a lot may do so less now. So now we have a situation where many of these key translations, as close to canonical as there can be in a tradition without an agreed-upon canon, for one of the world’s largest religious traditions barely sell 1,000 copies in total. These works would be impossible to publish without support from organizations like those already mentioned. A couple decades ago, I felt that the roots of dharma in the West were growing wider and deeper. At that time, I would have thought that by 2017, when something like our recent translation of Asanga’s Bodhisattvabhumi or the Ornament of the Great Vehicle Sutras—one of the most quoted of all Buddhist texts—or Wisdom’s recent Stages of the Buddha’s Teachings came out, thousands would leap at the chance to immerse themselves in these incredible works. But currently these kinds of projects have pretty limited audiences. And they do not seem to be growing.

While there are many younger sanghas and lamas, as well as western teachers with a lot of young students, the preponderance of grey hair at many Dharma centers indicates these are exceptions rather than the norm. I believe that if we published twenty years ago much of what we published today, they would sell 3–4 times more than they do now. This is partly due to the sheer quantity of great works available. No one can read it all, and “reading it all” is not the point. But to me—and yes, I am over-generalizing—it seems interest in really learning the Buddhist textual traditions has waned.

The Future

I also want to address another area where I feel we—publishers, practitioners, parents, and sanghas—have failed. Rather miserably. And that is providing good training and resources for children. I remember being at a tsok some years ago where at the end there was a group of young children exuberant from a rush of sugar in their blood, behaving wildly. A friend leaned over to me and whispered, “Good lord, these are the people who are going to be doing phowa for us”. Good lord indeed.

But of course this is about a lot more than phowa; this is about fostering our own version of Buddhist culture based on the wisdom passed down to us and sustaining the tradition for generations. And training our children is at the heart of this.

Some sanghas have summer retreats where children get plopped into a kids’ retreat with some level of instruction, but I’m not sure how deeply the Buddhist basics—let alone deep faith and devotion—get instilled at many of these. While there are a lot of great books with Buddhist-ish lessons or morals, the options for Buddhist parents who want to really help their kids understand and learn dharma in-depth are quite weak. So much of what is out there is just cultural baggage—-bouncing cherubic monks may not be the easiest to relate to. Or the art is unappealing. Or there is too much text for little kids to be able to connect. Or the kids need a ton of context or they won’t “get” what the books are trying to convey.

How can we change this? How can we help create the circumstances when instead of going to summer camp or soccer practice, our thirteen-year-olds want to complete their ngöndro? Given social pressures, a lack of institutional support, and cultural norms, it’s an uphill journey.

On the publishing side, there is plenty we can do. We now are very focused on producing some really excellent children’s books that have meaningful lessons, good art, foundational concepts, and are complementary components of a larger vision. It will take a while but we are moving in a good direction. Ultimately, all of us Buddhist publishers need to have a comprehensive list of books that build on each other: great board books for little ones up to three years old, chapter books for six–ten-year–olds, and young adult books for ages twelve and up. And these need to be generated as a group—not just one-offs, or it becomes too hard for the kids to relate to, connect with, and assimilate into their milieu, culture and value systems.  Our initial foray into this area is with our new imprint for children, Bala Kids.

While publishers obviously play an important role in this, for this to really have an effect requires the concerted, sustained efforts and long-term vision of teachers, writers, sanghas, and parents to create the resources and structure that parents can use with their kids day-in and day-out throughout the year. I was encouraged to see the Khyentse Foundation is turning its attention to this area and I have spoken at length about this recently with several lamas who also are concerned and have aspirations to change this. But we are at the very beginning of this endeavor.

Beyond the Book

Publishers are, more and more, looking to other areas to engage with people, and connect them to the wisdom and teachings.

Audio versions of our books is one obvious example, and we have begun to go back to some of  our classics and produce them, along with newer books as well.  We have a couple dozen and it is growing quickly.  The experience of listening to some of these, like Dudjom Rinpoche''s Counsels of My Heart, read below by actor Simon Callow, produuce a complementary experience, and one very friendly to those of us constantly on the go.

We started in 2013 developing online courses and have been expanding that branch of our company ever since. Everyone and their mother-in-law are putting a form of these online now, with a wide variety of quality. Done well, these can be such a great resource for people, for example those in remote areas where teachers or even sangha are not easily accessible. We have some exceptional courses with excellent lamas filmed and in production for 2017. But we have taken a conservative approach—the Buddhist courses that we have for 2017 are foundational. These are not only for beginners (though I expect they will find them excellent) but are from the likes of Kilung Rinpoche and Anyen Rinpoche that, in different but complementary ways, really are meant to invigorate viewers’ practice at whatever level they are at.

Outside of very general overviews of higher teachings, we are uncomfortable having a course presenting tantric, Dzogchen, or Mahamudra teachings in a context that is not observant of the intimacy and secrecy that these traditions require. I hope others producing these have or can adopt the same approach.

Anyen Rinpoche and Allison
Anyen Rinpoche and Alison Zangmo during filming for an upcoming online course

In Conclusion

So those are some of my views as I see the world of Buddhist publishing from my desk. My aspiration is that many of the good works that present-day authors, translators, and publishers have been dedicated to producing and are serving us well and will find the wider audiences they deserve: wave after wave of generations of committed, accomplished practitioners.

In the meantime, there are things you can do to help keep the Buddhist publishing ecosystem vibrant:

  • Support the Buddhist publishers directly or your local bookstores when possible. If you call your local bookstore, they can generally get a book they do not have within a day or two.
  • Join Goodreads, connect with your friends, and share with others the works that had an impact on you.
  • Start a reading and study group—in person, at your center if you have one nearby, by phone, or online using Skype, Zoom, or another tool. Here is one way to do it online.
  • Share what you read on social media.
  • Sign up for newsletters from Buddhist publishers. Here is ours. You can set it up so you only receive books about Tibetan Buddhism if that is all you are interested in.
  • Review books you like on Amazon, even if you did not buy it there.
  • Read more and practice it!

I’ll conclude with this passage, included in The Nectar of Manjushri’s Speech, from Patrul Rinpoche’s biography by Minyak Kunzang Sonam:

Thanks to the kindness of Patrul Rinpoche, the entire region became filled with the explanation and study [of the great texts] and very many people, down to ten-year-old monks, were able to adorn their mouths with the recitation of the Bodhicharyavatara . . . As a result, the whole land was gloriously transfigured through the enormous numbers of people who, from being complete beginners, aspired and turned their minds to the systematic implementation of the practice of the complete Mahayana path . . . And the members of the black-clothed laity, both men and women, by attending for just a few moments the explanation of the Bodhicharyavatara, came to understand that the good heart and bodhichitta are the living roots of the Mahayana teachings.

Thanks for reading. If you have any thoughts, feel free to share them. I may not be able to reply to everything but I will read it.

Nikko

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Buddha Nature: A Reader’s Guide

In the eleventh century, the great Tibetan scholar-practitioner Gampopa (1079–1153) began his composition known as The Jewel Ornament of Liberation with an exposition on the cause for awakening. What is the cause for awakening? In the Vajrayana and third turning traditions of Buddhism it is buddha nature. Buddha nature is our innate potential for awakening and the root of many Buddhist paths. Zen, Yogacara, and all Tibetan traditions of Buddhism teach that the goal of enlightenment is not some distant aspiration but is accessible in the immediate present.

Historically, the source of the buddha nature teachings can be traced back to the third turning of the Buddha’s teachings, with textual sources dating back to the 3rd and 4th century C.E.  and the Indian Yogācāra tradition. This tradition follows the tenet systems laid out by the Indian masters Vasubandhu (4th–5th century) and Asaṅga (fourth century). Their writings that continue to inspire throughout the ages include the Thirty Verses, the Twenty Verses, the Treatise on the Three Natures, and the Demonstration of Action by Vasubandhu as well as other scriptures on the storehouse consciousness, buddha nature, and the perfect luminosity of the union of appearances and emptiness that were written by his contemporaries and commentators, Asaṅga, Dharmakīrti (seventh century), and Dignāga (480–540). These foundational individuals have inspired an astoundingly profound line of philosophers and commentators in the Tibetan Buddhist traditions, and their developments permeate most all other Mahāyāna centers of Buddhist practice and philosophy.

There are now many literary works that explore the topic of buddha nature, provoking the realization of enlightenment and making that realization relatable to the very essence of our lives. In one’s relationship to the spiritual path, it is important to have a sense of our potential and our innate capability to grow and progress. It is this innate strength that is reflected in the Buddha and his commentators’ teachings on our perfect buddha nature. Enjoy this wonderful lion’s roar that echoes throughout the many publications featured below.

Masters of the Yogacara Tradition

The two most prominent figures from the Indian Buddhist tradition are Asanga and Maitreya. The tradition tells that Asanga meditated in a cave for 12 years until finally Maitreya appeared to him and brought him to Tushita heaven where he received the Five Treatises of Maitreya. The Five Treatise explain the profound meaning of emptiness and luminous nature. They include:

  • The Ornament of Clear Realization
  • The Oranment of the Mahayana Sutras
  • Distinguishing the Middle from the Extremes
  • Distinguishing Dharma and Dharmata
  • The Sublime Continuum

Asang's teaching on the foundation of our spiritual potency shows that there is nothing substantial to our limitations—our true state of being is never dampened by the adventitious pains clouding our experiences. It can be both inspiring, intimidating, and even shocking when first encountering the language used to express buddha nature. Especially if you are used to the common Buddhist philosophies regarding impermanence, selflessness, and suffering, the position of the third turning teachings can be jarring in its emphasis on the positive expressions of the ultimate—the descriptive qualities of the luminosity of mind.

For example, in The Uttaratantrashastra Asaṅga wrote these traditional examples that capture the brilliance and purity of our essential buddha nature,

Like a lake filled with unpolluted water gradually overspread by lotus flowers,

Like the full moon released from Rahu’s mouth and the sun liberated from a sea of clouds,

It is free from affliction. Being free from pollution and possessing qualities,

[buddhahood] is endowed with the brilliant light rays [of correct and complete vision].

-From Buddha Nature: The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra, translated by Rosemarie Fuchs

All sentient beings, without exception, have buddha nature—the inherent purity and perfection of the mind, untouched by changing mental states. Thus there is neither any reason for conceit nor self-contempt. This is obscured by veils that are removable and do not touch the inherent purity and perfection of the nature of the mind. The Mahayana Uttaratantra Shastra, one of the “Five Treatises” said to have been dictated to Asanga by the Bodhisattva Maitreya, presents the Buddha’s definitive teachings on how we should understand this ground of enlightenment and clarifies the nature and qualities of buddhahood. This seminal text details with great clarity the view that forms the basis for Vajrayana, and especially Mahamudra, practice.

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A monumental work and Indian Buddhist classic, the Ornament of the Mahāyāna Sūtras (Mahāyānasūtrālamkāra) is a precious resource for students wishing to study in-depth the philosophy and path of Mahāyāna Buddhism. This full translation and commentary outlines the importance of Mahāyāna, the centrality of bodhicitta or the mind of awakening, the path of becoming a bodhisattva, and how one can save beings from suffering through skillful means.

This definitive composition of Mahāyāna teachings was imparted in the fourth century by Maitreya to the famous adept Asanga, one of the most prolific writers of Buddhist treatises in history. Asanga’s work, which is among the famous Five Treatises of Maitreya, has been studied, commented upon, and taught by Buddhists throughout Asia ever since it was composed.

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The Buddhist masterpiece Ornament of the Great Vehicle Sūtras, often referred to by its Sanskrit title, Mahāyānasūtrālaṃkāra, is part of a collection known as the Five Maitreya Teachings, a set of philosophical works that have become classics of the Indian Buddhist tradition. Maitreya, the Buddha’s regent, is held to have entrusted these profound and vast instructions to the master Asaṅga in the heavenly realm of Tuṣita.

The Ornament provides a comprehensive description of the bodhisattva’s view, meditation, and enlightened activities. Bodhisattvas are beings who, out of vast love for all sentient beings, have dedicated themselves to the task of becoming fully awakened buddhas, capable of helping all beings in innumerable and vast ways to become enlightened themselves. To fully awaken requires practicing great generosity, patience, energy, discipline, concentration, and wisdom, and Maitreya’s text explains what these enlightened qualities are and how to develop them.

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Middle Beyond Extremes contains a translation of the Buddhist masterpiece Distinguishing the Middle from Extremes. This famed text, often referred to by its Sanskrit title, Madhyantavibhaga, is part of a collection known as the Five Maitreya Teachings. Maitreya is held to have entrusted these profound and vast instructions to the master Asanga in the heavenly realm of Tusita.

Distinguishing the Middle from Extremes employs the principle of the three natures to explain the way things seem to be as well as the way they actually are. It is presented here alongside commentaries by two outstanding masters of Tibet’s nonsectarian Rimé movement, Khenpo Shenga and Ju Mipham.

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The Buddhist masterpiece Distinguishing Phenomena from Their Intrinsic Nature, often referred to by its Sanskrit title, Dharmadharmatāvibhaṅga, is part of a collection known as the Five Maitreya Teachings, a set of philosophical works that have become classics of the Indian Buddhist tradition. Maitreya, the Buddha’s regent, is held to have entrusted these profound and vast instructions to the master Asaṅga in the heavenly realm of Tuṣita. Outlining the difference between appearance and reality, this work shows that the path to awakening involves leaving behind the inaccurate and limiting beliefs we have about ourselves and the world around us and opening ourselves to the limitless potential of our true nature.

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Distinguishing Phenomena and Pure Being was composed by Maitreya during the golden age of Indian Buddhism. Mipham's commentary supports Maitreya's text in a detailed analysis of how ordinary, confused consciousness can be transformed into wisdom. Easy-to-follow instructions guide the reader through the profound meditation that gradually brings about this transformation. This important and comprehensive work belongs on the bookshelf of any serious Buddhist practitioner—and indeed of anyone interested in realizing their full potential as a human being.

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A Compendium of the Mahayana

$150.00 - Hardcover

By: Karl Brunnholzl & Asanga

A Compendium of the Mahayana

The Mahāyānasaṃgraha, published here with its Indian and Tibetan commentaries in three volumes, presents virtually everything anybody might want to know about the Yogācāra School of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It discusses in detail the nature and operation of the eight kinds of consciousness, the often-misunderstood notion of “mind only” (cittamātra), dependent origination, the cultivation of the path and its fruition in terms of the four wisdoms, and the three bodies (kāyas) of a buddha.

Volume 1 presents the translation of the Mahāyānasaṃgraha along with a commentary by Vasubandhu. The introduction gives an overview of the text and its Indian and Tibetan commentaries, and explains in detail two crucial elements of the Yogācāra view: the ālaya-consciousness and the afflicted mind (klistamanas).

Volume 2 presents translations of the commentary by Asvabhāva and an anonymous Indian commentary on the first chapter of the text. These translations are supplemented in the endnotes by excerpts from Tibetan commentaries and related passages in other Indian and Chinese Yogācāra works.

Volume 3 includes appendices with excerpts from other Indian and Chinese Yogācāra texts and supplementary materials on major Yogācāra topics in the Mahāyānasaṃgraha.

When the Clouds Part

$49.95 - Hardcover

By: Karl Brunnholzl & Asanga & Jamgon Mipham & Maitreya

When the Clouds Part: The Uttaratantra and Its Meditative Tradition as a Bridge between Sūtra and Tantra

Including an insightful exploration in the translators introduction of the meditative tradition that uses Maitreya’s Mahāyānottaratantra as the basis for Mahāmudra instruction and the Shentong approach to understanding emptiness, this book discusses a wide range of topics connected with the notion of buddha nature as presented in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism. Included within is an overview of the sūtra sources of the tathāgatagarbha teachings and the different ways of explaining the meaning of this term, as well as new translations of the Maitreya treatise Mahāyānottaratantra (Ratnagotravibhāga) and its Indian and Tibetan commentaries.

Buddha Nature and the Zen Tradition

Shakyamuni Buddha said, “Living beings all are buddha nature.

The Tathagata is continuously abiding and not subject to change.”

Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra

 

Buddha statue in Hill of Buddha at Makomanai Takino, Japan

There is an impressive lineage of Zen writers that that have commented on the buddha nature teachings. Dōgen (1200–1253), whose instructional lectures were collected in his Shōbōgenzo, is one such Japanese thinker and practitioner whose writings on buddha nature have been published in numerous volumes. For example, Dōgen made the controversial and insightful decision to translate the above passage from the Chinese edition of the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra as, “Living beings all are buddha nature.” Many other translations simply state that all beings have Buddha nature.  Take a peek at the unique perspective Dōgen provides on buddha nature in his commentary on the above passage from the Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra found in his Treasury of the True Dharma Eye,

Know that the are of all are buddha nature is beyond are and are not. All are are the buddha words, the buddha tongue. They are the eyeball of buddha ancestors and the nostrils of patched-robed monks. The words all are are not limited to embryonic beings, original beings, inconceivable beings, or any other kind of beings. Furthermore, they do not mean causal beings or imaginary beings. All are are free from mind, object, essence, or aspects. This being so, the body, mind, and environs of Living beings all are [buddha nature] are not limited to the increasing power of action, imaginary causation, things as they are, or the practice realization of miraculous powers.

Such excerpts serve to guide readers toward a more complete understanding of the unique position Dōgen takes when addressing buddha nature. In the remainder of the chapter, difficult points are introduced in relation to this topic such as: the scope of buddha nature and its interconnectedness to living and inanimate beings, buddha nature and the importance of paradox and kōan practice, and narratives that colorfully illustrate Dōgen’s own journey of realization. His commentaries are included in various titles by Shambhala Publications such as the Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, Zen Enlightenment, Rational Zen, and The Essential Dōgen.

Works on Buddha Nature from the Zen Traditions

A presentation of Zen Buddhism in old Korea, this book is a window to the teachings of the fourteenth-century Zen master known as T’aego. Enjoy this translation of a direct and authentic account of Korean Zen Buddhism.

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Enlightenment Unfolds

$24.95 - Paperback

By: Zen Master Dogen & Kazuaki Tanahashi

Enlightenment Unfolds is a sequel to Kaz Tanahashi's previous collection, Moon in a Dewdrop, which has become a primary source on Dogen for Western Zen students. Enlightenment Unfolds presents even more of the incisive and inspiring writings of this seminal figure, focusing on essays from his great life work, Treasury of the True Dharma Eye, as well as poems, talks, and correspondence, much of which appears here in English for the first time. Read More

Minding Mind

$21.95 - Paperback

By: Thomas Cleary & Zen Master Dogen

In this collection of essays on Buddhist meditation, a variety of the traditions represented by teachers from China, Japan, and Korea, present the depth of “pure, clear meditation.” Zazen, as it is known in the Zen traditions, aims to capture the essence of traditional Buddhist meditation, and it is concisely presented here through various teacher’s perspectives.

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Only Don't Know

$27.95 - Paperback

By: Hyon Gak & Zen Master Seung Sahn

Taken from personal correspondences he would have with his student, this book presents Zen Master Seung Sahn from the perspective of his most intimate teachings. Seung Sahn received hundreds of letters per month, and some of the best are included here with his personal and enlightened responses to issues surrounding work, relationships, suffering, and the teacher-student relationship.

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Rational Zen

$24.95 - Paperback

By: Thomas Cleary & Zen Master Dogen

Zen has often been portrayed as being illogical and mystifying, even aimed at the destruction of the rational intellect. These new translations of the thirteenth-century Zen master Dōgen—one of most original and important Zen writers—illustrate the rational side of Zen, which has been obscured through the centuries, tainting people's understanding of it.

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The Five Houses of Zen

$24.95 - Paperback

By: Thomas Cleary

The Zen tradition has created a huge body of writings, and the writings associated with the so-called Five Houses of Zen are widely considered to be foremost in importance. These Five Houses were not schools of Zen but were styles of teaching represented by the most outstanding masters in Zen history. Many of the writings of these great masters are translated here for the first time.

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The Compass of Zen

This book is a simple, exhaustive—and often hilarious—presentation of the essence of Zen by Master Seung Sahn, a modern Zen Master of considerable renown. In his many years of teaching throughout the world Master Sahn has become known for his ability to cut to the heart of Buddhist teaching in a way that is strikingly clear, yet free of esoteric and academic language. In this book, he presents the basic teachings of Buddhism and Zen in a way that is wonderfully accessible for beginners—yet rich with stories, insights, and personal experiences that will also benefit long-time students of meditation.

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Zen Enlightenment

$24.95 - Paperback

By: Heinrich Dumoulin

Within Zen Enlightenment the renowned scholar Heinrich Dumoulin traces the development of Zen and the concept of enlightenment from its origins in India through its development in China to its fruition in Japan. With a special emphasis on the historical path Zen has followed, the development of koan practice, and the Japanese Zen master Dōgen, Heinrich presents in a fresh way the enlightenment experiences of a variety of contemporary Zen practitioners.

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Below, Paula Arai, author of Painting Enlightenment, reads an original poem to accompany the painting, “Do Ants Have Buddha-Nature?”, by Iwasaki Tsuneo. Painting Enlightenment is a beautiful exposition on a collection of paintings by Tsuneo illustrating the profound meaning of the Heart Sutra.

Buddha Nature and Tibetan Buddhism

Since the perfect buddhakaya radiates,
Since suchness is undifferentiable,
And because of the disposition,
All beings always possess the buddha heart.

When the Clouds Part (Uttaratantrashastra)

translated by Karl Brunnhölzl

Maitreya Buddha statue in Thiksey monastery temple. Leh-Ladakh, India

Although many of the great Tibetan Buddhist scholars and practitioners share the same root lineage, the various schools of Tibetan Buddhism eventually developed subtle philosophical differences with respect to buddha nature. There are many ways that the Tibetan traditions developed to systematically teach about buddha nature. For example, the highly systematized Tibetan traditions held unique philosophical positions regarding the usefulness of conceptual activity, sūtrayāna and mantrayāna supports, and rangtong (“empty of self”) and shentong (“empty of other”) approaches to buddha nature.

The differences in views on buddha nature in Tibetan Buddhism—Gampopa’s teachings on mahāmudrā, the emptiness-centered Gelug presentation, the Jonang ‘empty of other’ presentation by Venerable Dölpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (1292–1361), and the Nyingma position on Buddha-nature, help encapsulate the subtleties of the buddha nature teachings passed down through Tibetan Buddhism’s lineage of wisdom. The dialogue the ensues between these various viewpoints has led to the rich heritage of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, preserving the highest and most subtle points of the Buddha’s teachings.

In Gampopa’s chapter on Buddha nature mentioned above, he quotes from Maitreya’s Ornament for the Mahāyāna (mdo sde rgyan),

Suchness, in all places is without distinction, but when it is refined, it is called “Buddhahood”. Therefore, it is that with which all beings are endowed.

If you ask for a reason that all beings can be shown to have Buddha-nature, these are the reasons: The dharmakāya, being emptiness, pervades all beings; suchness is indivisible; and it exists in the heritage of all sentient beings. Therefore, because of these three reasons, sentient beings possess Buddha-nature.

Works on Buddha Nature From the Kagyu Tradition

Known for his mastery of teachings across sectarian lines, his treatises on medicine and astrology, and his work as spiritual advisor to the last Yuan emperor of China, Rangjung Dorje (1284–1339) is considered one of the most important and influential figures in Tibetan Buddhist history. First recognized as a tulku, or reincarnated Buddhist master, at the age of five, Rangjung Dorje became a major Kagyu lineage holder and instituted the Tibetan system of reincarnation-based inheritance that led to the formation of important lineages of tulkus such as the Dalai Lamas.

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Nāgārjuna's works sit at the heart of Mahāyāna Buddhist thought and practice, but he was renowned in Asia not only for his Madhyamaka work, but also his poetic collection of praises, most famously In Praise of Dharmadhatu. This book explores the scope, contents, and significance of Nāgārjuna’s scriptural legacy in India and Tibet, focusing primarily on this seminal work. The translation of Nāgārjuna’s hymn to buddha nature—here called dharmadhatu—shows how buddha nature is temporarily obscured in the experience of ordinary sentient beings, gradually uncovered through the path of bodhisattvas, and finally revealed in full bloom as buddhahood. Included is a translation of the text’s earliest and most extensive commentary by the Third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje (1284–1339), supplemented by relevant excerpts from all other available commentaries.

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Luminous Heart

$32.95 - Paperback

By: Karl Brunnholzl & The Third Karmapa

Synthesizing Yogacara Madhyamaka and the classical teachings on buddha nature, this superb collection of writings on buddha nature by the Third Karmapa Rangjung Dorje (1284–1339) focuses on the transition from ordinary deluded consciousness to enlightened wisdom, the characteristics of buddhahood, and a buddha's enlightened activity.  Rangjung Dorje not only shows that these teachings do not contradict each other but also that they supplement each other and share the same essential points in terms of the ultimate nature of mind and all phenomena. For those practicing the sūtrayāna and the vajrayāna in the Kagyu tradition, what these texts describe can be transformed into living experience.

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On Buddha Essence: A Commentary on Rangjung Dorje's Treatise

by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

According to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, human beings' true nature, or buddha essence, is the foundation from which all wisdom develops. In order to discover our buddha essence, the meditator needs to know how to meditate correctly and must properly understand the reasons for practicing meditation. Khenchen Thrangu—with clarity, warmth, and humor— explains buddha essence and how to discover it in ourselves by drawing on a classical text of the Kagyu lineage by Rangjung Dorje (the third Karmapa).

The Treasury of Knowledge: Book Six, Part Three: Frameworks of Buddhist Philosophy by Jamgön Kongtrul Lodro Tayé

Translated by Elizabeth M. Callahan

Frameworks of Buddhist Philosophy presents a study of the themes and subtle philosophies developed over thousands of years of Buddhist composition. Written by the leading Tibetan scholar of the nineteenth century, Jamgön Kongtrül Lodrö Tayé, this work provides a brilliant overview of the development of Buddhism’s three vehicles and four philosophical systems.

Featured Online Course: Glimpses of Mahamudra

Glimpses of Mahamudra The Tantric Teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Taught by Judith L. Lief

Mahamudra is a meditation tradition within tantric Buddhism that points to the nature of awareness itself, elevating our ordinary perception to the level of the sacred. In this view, all experiences arise from a mind that is naturally vast, empty, and luminous. In this online course, esteemed Buddhist teacher and editor Judith Lief takes us on a journey through the mahamudra teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche as presented in his Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma.

Using video recorded during a nine-day retreat, we’ll begin with a deep dive into shamatha-vipashyana meditation—the practice that builds our capacity for experiencing reality directly and completely. We’ll study the hinayana and mahayana—the foundational teachings of the Buddhist path that give us the tools to cultivate gentleness, wisdom, and compassion. We’ll discuss the importance of the heart-opening quality of devotion and the student-teacher relationship in entering the vajrayana. Finally, Lief will guide us in a series of practices and contemplations to glimpse the inherent, sky-like nature of the mind as clear, brilliant, and joyful.

Nyingma Texts that Emphasize Buddha Nature

The Precious Treasury of the Fundamental Nature

By Longchenpa
By Khangsar Tenpa'i Wangchuk
Translated by Padmakara Translation Group

Modern scholar and Nyingma master Khangsar Tenpa’i Wangchuk composed this first and only commentary on the fourteenth-century Buddhist master Longchenpa’s essential text, The Precious Treasury of the Fundamental Nature. The root text establishes the definitive view of the secret class of pith instructions of Dzogchen, the Great Perfection. Tenpa’i Wangchuk’s word-commentary elucidates the nature of phenomena adhering closely to the internal structure of Longchenpa’s verses, clearly presenting the four vajra principles of the nature of phenomena: nonexistence, evenness, spontaneous presence, and single nature.

The Padmakara Translation Group has provided a clear and fluid new translation of Longchenpa’s root text. The commentary by Khangsar Tenpa’i Wangchuk is here translated for the first time, commencing an extended project to render his entire collected works in English. This is an invaluable resource for students of Buddhism who wish to deepen their understanding of the nature of mind and phenomena as presented in the Great Perfection tradition.

Longchenpa's Trilogy of Rest

Longchenpa’s classic Buddhist manual for attaining liberation teaches us how to familiarize ourselves with our most basic nature—the clear, pristine, and aware mind. Written in the fourteenth century, this text is the first volume of Longchenpa’s Trilogy of Rest, a work of the Tibetan Dzogchen tradition.

Finding Rest in the Nature of Mind, Volume I is the profound and comprehensive presentation of the Buddhist view and path, combining the scholastic expository method with direct pith instructions designed for yogi practitioners.

Finding Rest in Meditation establishes the view of the Buddhist path generally, and specifically that of the teachings of the Great Perfection. It outlines the main points of meditation, namely, where one should meditate, what qualities a practitioner should possess and develop, and what should be practiced.

Finding Rest in Illusion describes in detail the conduct of those who have stabilized their recognition of the nature of the mind and how to apply the Buddhist view when relating to ordinary appearances. Drawing extensively from classic Buddhist works, the author uses well-known examples of illusion found throughout Mahāyāna literature to illustrate the illusory nature of both saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, thus revealing their ultimate nondual nature. This is an invaluable manual for any genuine student of Buddhism who wishes to truly find rest through the path of the Great Perfection.

Buddha Nature Teachings from Dolpopa and the Jonang Tradition

The Buddha from Dolpo

$39.95 - Hardcover

By: Cyrus Stearns

One of the only books about the controversial Buddhist master of Tibet, Dölpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (1292–1361). Dölpopa emphasized two contrasting definitions of the Buddhist theory of emptiness. He described relative phenomena as empty of self-nature, but absolute reality as only empty of other (i.e. relative) phenomena. He further identified absolute reality as the buddha nature or eternal essence present in all living beings. This view of an "emptiness of other," known in Tibetan as shentong, is Dölpopa's enduring legacy.

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In this volume, Kongtrul expands on The One Hundred and Eight Guidebooks, a collection of teaching manuals compiled by the sixteenth-century Tibetan master Kunga Drolchok, adding Indic source texts, Tibetan antecedents, and later interpretations. Though compiled by a Jonangpa abbot and transmitted by the Jonang tradition, these teaching manuals are actually drawn from the Kadam, Sakya, Kagyu, and, to a lesser extent, Nyingma traditions. They are succinct and impart practical wisdom, as transmitted by key figures like Kunga Chogdrub and Lowo Khenchen Sonam Lhundrub. Gyurme Dorje, the translator, provides extensive notes and helpful context throughout. The resulting volume preserves and integrates the diverse lineages of Tibetan Buddhism while providing useful advice to practitioners.

Jonang is part of Jamgön Kongtrul the Great's eighteen volume collection known as The Treasury of Precious Instructions. For more information on his work see the Treasury of Precious Instructions.

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Masters on the Buddha Nature Tradition from the Lives of the Masters Series

Maitripa: India's Yogi of Nondual Bliss

By Klaus-Dieter Mathes

Maitripa (986–1063) is one of the greatest and most influential Indian yogis of Vajrayana Buddhism. The legacy of his thought and meditation instructions have had a profound impact on Buddhism in India and Tibet, and several important contemporary practice lineages continue to rely on his teachings.

Early in his life, Maitripa gained renown as a monk and scholar, but it was only after he left his monastery and wandered throughout India as a yogi that he had a direct experience of nonconceptual realization. Once Maitripa awakened to this nondual nature of reality, he was able to harmonize the scholastic teachings of Buddhist philosophy with esoteric meditation instructions. This is reflected in his writings that are renowned for evoking a meditative state in those who have trained appropriately. He eventually became the teacher of many well-known accomplished masters, including Padampa Sangyé and the translator Marpa, who brought his teachings to Tibet.

Drawing on Maitripa’s autobiographical writings and literary work, this book is the first comprehensive portrait of the life and teachings of this influential Buddhist master. Klaus-Dieter Mathes also offers the first complete English translation of his teachings on nonconceptual realization, which is the foundation of Mahamudra meditation.

Xuanzang: China's Legendary Pilgrim and Translator

By Benjamin Brose

In the fall of 629, Xuanzang (600–662), a twenty-nine-year-old Buddhist monk, left the capital of China to begin an epic pilgrimage across the country, through the deserts of Central Asia, and into India. His goal was to locate and study authentic Buddhist doctrine and practice, then bring the true teachings back to his homeland. Over the course of nearly seventeen years, he walked thousands of miles and visited hundreds of Buddhist monasteries and monuments. He studied with the leading teachers of his day and compiled a written account of his travels that remains a priceless record of premodern Indian history, religion, and culture. When Xuanzang finally returned to China in 645, he brought with him a treasure trove of new texts, relics, and icons. This transmission of Indian Buddhist teachings to China, made possible by Xuanzang’s unparalleled vision and erudition, was a landmark moment in the history of East Asian Buddhism.

As with many great pre-modern religious figures, the legends surrounding Xuanzang’s life have taken on lives of their own. His story has been retold, reshaped, and repurposed by generations of monastics and laypeople. In this comprehensive and engaging account, Benjamin Brose charts a course between the earliest, most reliable accounts of Xuanzang’s biography and the fantastic legends that later developed, such as those in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. Xuanzang remains one of the most consequential monks in the rich history of Buddhism in East Asia. This book is an indispensable introduction to his extraordinary life and enduring legacies.

Online Articles, Excerpts and other Resources Related to Buddha Nature

Karl Brunnholzl

The Five Maitreya Texts: The "Zip Files" of the Mahāyāna

by Karl Brunnhölzl

The five works that the Tibetan tradition ascribes to Maitreya resemble zip files that contain all the profound and vast topics of the Buddhist teachings. In their traditional order: The Ornament of Clear Realization comments on the emptiness taught in the Prajnaparamita Sutras and on what happens in the minds of bodhisattvas familiarizing themselves with emptiness on the paths and bhumis. Read More

photo from Shedrub.org

Translating the Maitreya Treatises: An Interview with Thomas Doctor

We recently interviewed Thomas Doctor, a translator on the Dharmachakra Translation Committee, about the importance of their recent translations of the Maitreya texts and commentaries. Read More

Khenpo Shenga

Khenpo Shenga (1871–1927) wrote commentaries on all 13 texts.

The Thirteen Core Indian Buddhist Texts: A Reader's Guide

There are thirteen classics of Indian Mahayana philosophy, still used in Tibetan centers of education throughout Asia and beyond, particularly the Nyngma tradition, with overlap with the others.  They cover the subjects of vinaya, abhidharma, Yogacara, Madhyamika, and the path of the Bodhisattva.  They are some of the most frequently quoted texts found in works written from centuries ago to today. Below is a reader's guide to these works.

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The Importance of the Ornament of Mahayana Sutras

Maitreya and the MahayanasutralamkaraOne of the Five Maitreya Treatises—the five texts imparted to Asanga by the bodhisattva Maitreya—the Ornament of the Mahayana Sutras (in Sankrit the Mahayanasutralamkara, often shortened to Sutralamkara) presents explanations of bodhisattva motivation, meditation, conduct, and fruition as expounded in the Mahayana sutras as well as demonstrating the superiority of the Mahayana.  In English, the verses fill about 130 pages. Quite simply, the Sutralamkara is one of the most important texts in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions and is immensely important for practitioners and scholars to know intimately.

So just what is this text which is quoted everywhere but few have read?

Mipham RinpocheJamgon Mipham Rinpoche, paraphrasing Asanga's brother Vasubandu's student Sthiramati, says that this text:

. . .explains all the profound and extensive practices of the bodhisattvas, which can be summarized under three headings: what to train in, how to train, and who is training.

The first of these, what one trains in, can be condensed into seven objects in which one trains: one’s own welfare, others’ welfare, thatness, powers, bringing one’s own buddha qualities to maturity, bringing others to maturity, and unsurpassable perfect enlightenment.

How one trains is in six ways: by first developing a great interest in the teachings of the Great Vehicle, investigating the Dharma, teaching the Dharma, practicing the Dharma in accord with the teachings, persevering in the correct instructions and follow-up teachings, and imbuing one’s physical, verbal, and mental activities with skillful means.

Those who train are the bodhisattvas, of whom there are ten categories: those who are of the bodhisattva type, those who have entered the Great Vehicle, those with impure aspirations, those with pure aspirations, those whose aspirations are not matured, those whose aspirations are matured, those with uncertain realization, those with certain realization, those who are delayed by a single birth, and those who are in their last existence.

ornament of the mahayana sutras

We have two translations of this text which both include the extensive and illuminating commentary by Mipham Rinpoche who based his long work on Sthiramati's famous commentary.

The first, The Ornament of the Great Vehicle Sutras, was translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee includes the annotations by Khenpo Shenga, who derived them often directly from Vasubandu's commentary.  You can read our interview with Dharmachakra's Thomas Doctor which includes a short discussion of this text.

 

 

feast of the nectarThe second is The Feast of the Nectar of the Supreme Vehicle, translated by the Padmakara Translation Group.  Ths has a very helpful introduction orienting the reader and giving important context.  It is also full of very helpful notes throughout.

 

Here is the translator from Padmakara, Stephen Gethin,  explaining the text.

 

It is hard to exaggerate the importance of this text in the Tibetan tradition. It was first translated from Sanskrit to Tibetan in the 8th century, at the time of Padmsambhava’s residence, by his disciple Kawa Peltsek. Atisha later taught it when he came to Tibet and refers to it repeatedly throughout his works.  Gampopa references it in his Jewel Ornament of Liberation. The great Sakya master Ngorchen Konchog Lhundrub refers to it repeatedly in his Three Visions: Fundamental Teachings of the Sakya Lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Virtually all the great masters of all the Tibetan traditions studied this work and its commentaries in depth.

In short, the Sutralamkara has been central to the training of hundreds of thousands of practitioners and scholars and remains today a core component of all the curriculums in monasteries and shedras.

Below are a few more examples showing just how fundamental it is and some ways it is used in later Buddhist literature. And these are a small sampling—this text appears everywhere.

Jamgön Kongtrül brings it forth in his 10 volume Treasury of Knowledge. As an example, in Book Eight he relates how it is a core part of the Kadampa tradition, particularly the training in meditation. He then traces its lineage from Atisha's disciple Drontompa to Potawa to Langri Tampa and onwards to Tsongkhapa and into the present-day Gelug curriculum. He also uses it to prove the validity of the Mahayana.

Tsongkhapa and into the present-day Gelug curriculum. He also uses it to prove the validity of the Mahayana.

Great Treatise lamrimTsongkahapa discusses the text throughout his Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path, the Lam Rim Chenmo. He uses it in the chapters for how to rely on a teacher; refuting misconceptions about meditation; on explaining the origin of suffering and emotions; the nature of the path leading to liberation, precepts and perfections; the paramita of perseverance, the perfection of wisdom, the gathering of disciples; and the various chapters on calm abiding meditation.

Longchenpa refers to it throughout his works as pointed out repeatedly in Tulku Thondup's The Practice of Dzogchen. It appears also in the recent translation of Longchenpa's Finding Rest trilogy. 

Dudjom Rinpoche brings it into his History of the Nyingma School throughout The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, in which he calls it the text that teaches “the integration of conduct and view.” He also refers to it repeatedly in A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom when he is explaining the nature of the six perfections.

Complete Nyingma TraditionThe most comprehensive work on the Nyingma tradition, the multi-volume masterwork by Choying Tobden Dorje, The Complete Nyingma Tradition, also extensively references it.

In Brilliant Moon, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche relates how he and his brother received the instructions on the text. He also brings it up repeatedly in Heart of Compassion, his discussion of the 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva; the power and strength of love; the perfection of wisdom; and the role emotions play to "destroy oneself, destroy others, and destroy discipline." He also mentions it in his biography of Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö, using phrases describing the nature of bodhisattvas to show how the latter was one.

In his commentary on the 9th chapter of The Way of the Bodhisattva that appears in The Center of the Sunlit Sky, the great Kagyu master Pawo Rinpoche—the student of the 8th Karmapa and teacher to the 9th—devotes thirteen pages to the Sutralamkara explaining how the text proves the validity and authenticity of the Mahayana.

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SNOW LION NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE

What Om Mani Padme Hum Means?

The following article is from the Autumn 2002 Snow Lion Newsletter and is an excerpt from Kindness, Clarity, and Insight by The Fourteenth Dalai Lama His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, translated and edited by Jeffrey Hopkins, co-edited by Elizabeth Napper.

You can see this in context of the original newsletter here.

$16.95 - Paperback

A Talk On Om Mani Padme Hum

By His Holiness the Dalai Lama

It is very good to recite the mantra Om mani padme hum,

but while you are doing it,

you should be thinking on its meaning,

for the meaning of the six syllables is great and vast.

"It is said that you should not seek for Buddhahood outside of yourself; the substances for the achievement of Buddhahood are within."

Om

The first, Om is composed of three letters. A, U, and M. These symbolize the practitioner's impure body, speech, and mind; they also symbolize the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha.

Can impure body, speech, and mind be transformed into pure body, speech, and mind, or are they entirely separate?

All Buddhas are cases of beings who were like ourselves and then in dependence on the path became enlightened; Buddhism does not assert that there is anyone who from the beginning is free from faults and possesses all good qualities. The development of pure body, speech, and mind comes from gradually leaving the impure states and their being transformed into the pure.

How is this done?

The path is indicated by the next four syllables.

Mani

Mani, meaning jewel, symbolizes the factors of method—the altruistic intention to become enlightened, compassion, and love.

Just as a jewel is capable of removing poverty, so the altruistic mind of enlightenment is capable of removing the poverty, or difficulties, of cyclic existence and of solitary peace.

Similarly, just as a jewel fulfills the wishes of sentient beings, so the altruistic intention to become enlightened fulfills the wishes of sentient beings.

Padme

The two syllables, padme, meaning lotus, symbolize wisdom, just as a lotus grows forth from mud but is not sullied by the faults of mud, so wisdom is capable of putting you in a situation of non-contradiction whereas there would be contradiction if you did not have wisdom.

There is wisdom realizing impermanence, wisdom realizing that persons are empty of being self-sufficient or substantially existent, wisdom that realizes the emptiness of duality—that is to say, of difference of entity between subject an object—and wisdom that realizes the emptiness of inherent existence.

Though there are many different types of wisdom, the main of all these is the wisdom realizing emptiness.

Hum

Purity must be achieved by an indivisible unity of method and wisdom, symbolized by the final syllable hum, which indicates indivisibility. According to the sutra system, this indivisibility of method and wisdom refers to wisdom affected by method and method affected by wisdom.

In the mantra or tantric, vehicle, it refers to one consciousness in which there is the full form of both wisdom and method as one undifferentiable entity.

In terms of the seed syllables of the five Conqueror Buddhas, hum is the seed syllable of Akshobhya—the immovable, the unfluctuating, that which cannot be disturbed by anything.

Thus the six syllables, om mani padme hum, mean that in dependence on the practice of a path which is an indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech, and mind into the pure exalted body, speech, and mind of a Buddha.

It is said that you should not seek for Buddhahood outside of yourself; the substances for the achievement of Buddhahood are within.

As Maitreya says in his Sublime Continuum of the Great Vehicle (Uttaratantra), all beings naturally have the Buddha nature in their own continuum. We have within us the seed of purity, the essence of a One Gone Thus (Tathagatagarbha), that is to be transformed and fully developed into Buddhahood.

Om Mani Padme Hum - Tibetan mantra, Mcleodganj Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh
Tibetan Buddhism Mantra om mani padme hum prayer wheels

". . . .all beings naturally have the Buddha nature in their own continuum. We have within us the seed of purity..."

For the Benefit of All Beings Dalai Lama
His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama is considered the foremost Buddhist leader of our time. The exiled spiritual head of the Tibetan people, he is a Nobel Peace Laureate, a Congressional Gold Medal recipient, and a remarkable teacher and scholar who has authored over one hundred books.
jeffrey hopkins
Jeffrey Hopkins, PhD, served for a decade as the interpreter for the Dalai Lama. A Buddhist scholar and the author of more than thirty-five books, he is Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia, where he founded the largest academic program in Tibetan Buddhist studies in the West.

Elizabeth S. Napper is an independent scholar who has translated and edited Tibetan Buddhist works. She lives in India.

For more on Om Mani Padme Hum by another great master, see Trinley Norbu Rinpoche's explanation here.

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Answers

The following article is from the Summer, 2001 issue of the Snow Lion Newsletter and is for historical reference only. You can see this in context of the original newsletter here.

 

"THIS IS A GREAT BOOK! The richness of this book lies in its simple spontaneity and breadth of subject matter." —The Tibet Journal

Tibetan Buddhism, Answers Discussions with Western Buddhists By H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama Translated by Jose Cabezon Edited by Jose Cabezon

Discussions with Western Buddhists

By H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama
Translated by Jose Cabezon
Edited by Jose Cabezon


When we come into contact with the followers of different religions, we should not argue. Instead, we should advise them to follow their own beliefs as sincerely and as truthfully as possible. For if they do so, they will no doubt reap certain benefits.

In India, at the place where the Buddha attained enlightenment, it became a well-established tradition for the Dalai Lama to spend several days each year giving teachings to Buddhists from all over the world.

where buddha attained enlightenment, Bodh Gaya

Following his teachings, he held informal group discussions with Western students of Buddhism. In these lively exchanges, the Dalai Lama exhibits clear and penetrating insight into issues that are most important to Western students.

Some of the topics discussed are: psychology, Christianity, being a practicing Buddhist in the West, spiritual teachers, reincarnation, emptiness, tantra, protector deities, liberation, meditation, compassion, disciplining others, the power of holy places, and retreats.

Jose Ignacio Cabezon holds the Dalai Lama XIV Chair in Tibetan Buddhism and Cultural Studies in the Religious Studies Department at the University of California, Santa Barbara and is the author of A Dose of Emptiness.


The following is an excerpt from the Editor's Introduction to "Answers":

Of all the sites sacred to Buddhists, Bodhgaya is perhaps the most important. Little more than a village on the outskirts of Gaya, one of the larger cities in the state of Bihar (North India), it has nonetheless attracted Buddhist pilgrims for centuries.

Over the past several years, it has become a well established tradition for His Holiness the Dalai Lama to spend several days in January or February in residence in Bodhgaya. During this time, Buddhists from all over the world gather to listen to the teachings of His Holiness and to share in days of prayer and meditation.

Especially for the Tibetan Buddhists in exile, for the thousands who flock from Tibet for this occasion, and for the Indian Buddhists from the border areas of Ladakh, Kunu, Arunachal Pradesh and so forth, it is an opportunity not only to make pilgrimage to the place of the Buddha's enlightenment, to pray and to make prostrations under the Bodhi tree, and to circumambulate the central temple, it is an opportunity to engage in all of these practices during the visit of the Dalai Lama, who for them and for thousands of other Buddhists throughout the world, is a source of inspiration and the embodiment of living and active Buddhist principles.


these teachings. . . all share one common quality: that the questions asked are topical, the issues dealt with reflecting the current concerns of the participants, both Buddhist and non-Buddhist.

For the community of Western Buddhists as well, winter in Bodhgaya is a time for rejoicing, meeting old friends, and especially for practicing mental cultivation. Several meditation courses meet during this time, and there is usually some form of translation available for those who wish to attend the teachings of His Holiness. In addition, beginning in 1981, His Holiness has given group interviews to the Westerners.

Sometimes the discussions, which invariably have taken the form of question and answer sessions, were granted to groups at the close of a meditation retreat and were restricted to those who participated in that retreat (as in the case with the second discussion in this collection).

The majority of the meetings, however, were open to the general public. They were held, almost exclusively, in the Tibetan Temple in Bodhgaya.

Because of the spontaneous and dialogical nature of the interviews, they tended to differ in mood and content from year to year. Still, they all share one common quality: that the questions asked are topical, the issues dealt with reflecting the current concerns of the participants, both Buddhist and non-Buddhist.


It is enough that they are trying to become better human beings. This in itself is very good and worthy of praise.

In a very real way, the questions raised bring up problems that all of us face today. The range of topics is vast. We find philosophical discussions of the doctrine of emptiness, questions concerning the role of monks and nuns in the world today, and debates concerning particle physics, not to speak of questions dealing with politics, psychology, and Tantra.

In short, within these few pages, we find the entire gamut of religious and secular human concerns.

I myself was present at the first discussion and was the translator for the fourth. I have witnessed through the years the uniqueness of these occasions, and so, when I was approached to bring out that year's discussion in published form, I realized how worthwhile it would be to compile the Bodhgaya discussions in a single volume.

To this end, I have gone through tapes of all of the discussions, have scrutinized all portions in which His Holiness spoke in Tibetan to insure accuracy and to avoid the types of omissions to which spontaneous translation is heir. I have, of course, edited the entire text.

Nonetheless, with a view to preserving the original flavor of the dialogues as much as possible, I have tried to keep editing to a minimum.


Buddhists from all over the world gather to listen to the teachings of His Holiness and to share in days of prayer and meditation.

Here are some selected questions and answers from the book:

QUESTIONER: But aren't the objects of Tantric meditation just imaginary things without any reality?

HIS HOLINESS: Certainly, at the outset these objects are just mind-created.

In the beginning of the practice the various objects one realizes are simply imaginary. Nonetheless, they serve a special function and each has a specific purpose.

Their being imaginary does not deprive them of efficacy.


It is through the Tantric practice involving the most subtle consciousness that the goal of enlightenment can most quickly be realized.

Q: How do things exist if they are empty of inherent existence?

HIS HOLINESS: The doctrines of emptiness and selflessness do not imply the non-existence of things. Things do exist.

When we say that all phenomena are void of self-existence, it does not mean that we are advocating non-existence, that we are repudiating that things exist.

Then what is it we are negating? We are negating, or denying, that anything exists from its own side without depending on other things.

Hence, it is because things depend for their existence upon other causes and conditions that they are said to lack independent self-existence.

To put it another way, if we search for an object, subjecting it to logical analysis, it cannot be found. Whatever the object may be, whether it is mental or physical, whether it is nirvana or Sakyamuni Buddha himself, nothing can ever be found when it is searched for, when it is subjected to logical inquiry.

Now you see, we have this belief in an "I." We say, "I am so and so" or "I am a Buddhist."


The doctrines of emptiness and selflessness do not imply the non-existence of things. Things do exist.

If we investigate the implications of this, we cannot but conclude that the self, or "I," exists. Where there is a belief, there must be a believer, so there must be sentient beings. There is no question whether or not there exist beings—of course beings exist.

The Dalai Lama exists. Tibetans exist. There are Canadians and there are the English. Since England exists, there must be Englishmen, and an English language.

This is what we are speaking now. That there are beings who are at present speaking English is a fact which no one can deny.

But if we now ask ourselves, "where is this English which we are all speaking?," "where are the Englishmen?,' "where is the I'?," "where is the self of the Dalai Lama?"

We might be tempted to say that because no self is to be found when analyzed with logical reasoning, that there is no self at all. But this is wrong.


it is because things depend for their existence upon other causes and conditions that they are said to lack independent self-existence.

We can, for example, point to the Dalai Lama's physical form, his body, and we know that the Dalai Lama has a mind. My body and mind belong to me. So if I didn't exist at all, then how could "I" be the "owner' of my body and mind? How could they be "mine"? The body and mind belong to someone, and that someone is the "I."

It is because the body belongs to the self that, when we take an aspirin and the body feels better, we say, "I feel better." So it is because it is meaningful to say "I am not well" when the body is not well, it is because we sometimes get angry with ourselves when our mind forgets something and we say, "Oh, I'm so absent-minded," it is because all of these situations and forms of expression do occur and are meaningful, that we know there must exist a conventional, or nominal, "I."

Now, apart from the body and mind, there can be no "I," and yet, if we search for the self among our mental and physical aggregates, there is no "I" to be found. So the point is this:

there is an "I"

but it is something that is merely labeled in dependence upon

the body and mind.

Now the body itself is something which is material, and it is an entity composed of many parts, and it too, if searched for among those parts, cannot be found.

This applies equally to all phenomena, even to Maitreya Buddha himself. If we look for Maitreya Buddha among his aggregates, we cannot find even him. Since ultimately even Buddhas do not exist, we know that ultimately there can be no person, or self, of any kind.

However, conventionally, there is a Maitreya Buddha. His statue or image we can see for ourselves here in the temple. Now again, let us consider the image. It has different parts: the head, the torso, the hands, and feet. Apart from these there is no "image of Maitreya Buddha." The image is simply a composite of these different parts labeled by the name image of Maitreya Buddha.

So the conclusion is this:

if we investigate and search for any object,

we could spend years and years and never find it.

This means that the image of Maitreya, for example, does not exist from its own side.

It is something that is only labeled by our minds.

It does not exist inherently, and so it must be an entity only imputed, or labeled, by the mind.

Though the image does not ultimately exist, nonetheless, if we take the image as our object in visualization, for example, and worship it, etc., the merit is accrued and benefit will come.


it is through the use of the subtlest level of consciousness that the most powerful spiritual realizations can come about.

Q: Can you explain how Tantric meditation achieves the enlightened state so much more quickly than vipasyana, i.e. insight meditation?

HIS HOLINESS: In Tantric meditation, particularly in the practice of Anuttarayoga Tantra, while one is realizing emptiness, the ultimate truth, one controls thought through the use of certain techniques.

In the Sutrayana, the non-Tantric form of the Mahayana, there is no mention of these unique techniques involving the yogic practices of controlled breathing and meditation using the inner channels and chakras, etc. The Sutrayana just describes how to analyze the object, i.e. how to come to gain insight into the nature of the object through reasoning, etc.

The Anuttarayoga Tantra, however, teaches, in addition to this, certain techniques which use the channels, subtle winds, etc. to help one to control one's thoughts more effectively. These methods help one to more quickly gain control over the scattered mind and to achieve more effectively a level of consciousness which is at once subtle and powerful. This is the basis of the system.


there are rough levels of consciousness, more subtle levels, and then the innermost subtle level of consciousness.

The wisdom that realizes emptiness, that has gained insight into the nature of reality, is of varying kinds, depending upon the level of subtlety of the consciousness perceiving the emptiness.

In general, there are rough levels of consciousness, more subtle levels, and then the innermost subtle level of consciousness. It is the uncommon characteristic of Tantric practice that through it one can evoke this most subtle consciousness at will and put it to use in a most effective way.

For example, when emptiness is realized by this subtlest level of mind, it is more powerful, having a much greater effect on the personality.


meditations on the chakras and the channels (nadis), that one can control and temporarily abandon the rougher levels of consciousness.

In order to activate or make use of the more subtle levels of consciousness, it is necessary to block the rougher levels—the rougher or grosser levels must cease.

It is through specifically Tantric practices, such as the meditations on the chakras and the channels (nadis), that one can control and temporarily abandon the rougher levels of consciousness. When these become suppressed, the subtler levels of consciousness become active. And it is through the use of the subtlest level of consciousness that the most powerful spiritual realizations can come about.

Hence, it is through the Tantric practice involving the most subtle consciousness that the goal of enlightenment can most quickly be realized.


Different human beings have different mental predispositions, and there are cases when even Buddha himself could not do much to overcome these—there was a limit.

Q: It is generally said that teachers of other religions, no matter how great, cannot attain liberation without turning to the Buddhist path.

Now suppose there is a great teacher, say he is a Saivite, and suppose he upholds very strict discipline and is totally dedicated to other people all of the time, always giving himself. Is this person, simply because he follows Siva, incapable of attaining liberation, and if so, what can be done to help him?

HIS HOLINESS: During the Buddha's own time, there were many non-Buddhist teachers whom the Buddha could not help, for whom he could do nothing. So he just let them be.

The Buddha Sakyamuni was an extraordinary being, he was the manifestation, the nirmanakaya, or physical appearance, of an already enlightened being.

But while some people recognized him as a Buddha, other regarded him as a black magician with strange and evil powers. So, you see, even the Buddha Sakyamuni himself was not accepted as an enlightened being by all of his contemporaries.


The Buddha Sakyamuni was an extraordinary being, he was the manifestation, the nirmanakaya, or physical appearance, of an already enlightened being.

Different human beings have different mental predispositions, and there are cases when even Buddha himself could not do much to overcome these—there was a limit.

Now today, the followers of Siva have their own religious practices, and they reap some benefit from engaging in their own forms of worship. Through this, their life will gradually change.

Now my own position on this question is that Siva-ji's followers should practice according to their own beliefs and traditions, Christians must genuinely and sincerely follow what they believe, and so forth. That is sufficient.


When I meet the followers of different religions, I always praise them, for it is enough, it is sufficient, that they are following the moral teachings that are emphasized in every religion.

Q: But they will, not attain liberation.

HIS HOLINESS: We Buddhists ourselves will not be liberated at once. In our own case, it will take time.

Gradually, we will be able to reach moksa, or nirvana, but the majority of Buddhists will not achieve this within their own lifetimes. So there's no hurry.

If Buddhists themselves have to wait, perhaps many lifetimes, for their goal, why should we expect that it be different for non-Buddhists? So, you see, nothing much can be done.

Suppose, for example, you try to convert someone from another religion to the Buddhist religion, and you argue with them trying to convince them of the inferiority of their position. And suppose you do not succeed, suppose they do not become Buddhist. On the one hand, you have failed in your task, and on the other hand, you may have weakened the trust they have in their own religion, so that they may come to doubt their own faith. What have you accomplished by all this?


If Buddhists themselves have to wait, perhaps many lifetimes, for their goal, why should we expect that it be different for non-Buddhists?

It is of no use. When we come into contact with the followers of different religions, we should not argue. Instead, we should advise them to follow their own beliefs as sincerely and as truthfully as possible.

For if they do so, they will no doubt reap certain benefits. Of this there is no doubt. Even in the immediate future, they will be able to achieve more happiness and more satisfaction. Do you agree?

This is the way I usually act in such matters, it is my belief. When I meet the followers of different religions, I always praise them, for it is enough, it is sufficient, that they are following the moral teachings that are emphasized in every religion.

It is enough, as I mentioned earlier, that they are trying to become better human beings. This in itself is very good and worthy of praise.

For more information:

H.H. the Fourteenth Dalai Lama

His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama is considered the foremost Buddhist leader of our time. The exiled spiritual head of the Tibetan people, he is a Nobel Peace Laureate, a Congressional Gold Medal recipient, and a remarkable teacher and scholar who has authored over one hundred books.

...
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